2006 News-Times
All-Area

"The brains of the operation," coach
Maura Fletcher
says. "A very smart player."... Proficient at settling the offense and feeding cutters... Scored 46 goals and had a team-best 68 assists... Produced six assists in the league final for the SWC champions... A four-year varsity standout... Looking to play club lacrosse at Dartmouth... All-SWC.

Molly Blansfield

Danbury / Junior

Attack

One of the two primary scoring options for the Division II state semifinalists... Scored 51 goals, despite missing two full games and parts of two others with an early-season ankle injury... Had three goals to help DHS post its first win vs. rival Ridgefield, 7-5, in the CIAC quarterfinals... Notched five goals in semifinal loss to Amity... All-FCIAC and All-State.

"A great all-around player," coach
Cory Distler
says. "You could put her anywhere on the field." ... The second-leading scorer for the Division I Falcons with 41 goals... Also had 13 assists... Played three varsity seasons... All-SWC... Recruited to play at Division III

The No. 2 scorer for the 15-5 Bobcats with 75 points... Had 57 goals and 18 assists... Delivered a game-high six goals in an SWC semifinal victory vs. New Fairfield... Had only one previous season of varsity experience... All-SWC.

Kerrie Canavan

Newtown / Senior

Goalie

Generally considered the area's top goalie... A big reason the team has captured consecutive SWC titles... Had an impressive save percentage of 54 percent for the 17-2 Nighthawks... More athletic than most goalies, and not afraid to come out of the cage... All-SWC... Will attend UConn, and may try out for the team as a walk-on.

Lauren Ciccomascolo

Newtown / Sophomore

Midfield

The MVP of the league championship game after scoring six times in a 14-10 victory over Brookfield... Scored a team-high 65 goals... "Fast and athletic, with a great work ethic. She just loves lacrosse," says coach Maura Fletcher... Grew up in Glastonbury, lived in California the past four years and has already moved back... All-SWC.

Carly Curran

Newtown / Senior

Defense

Earned the repuation as a superb defensive player for the 17-2 Nighthawks by routinely shutting down the opponent's top scoring threat... "She's a great one-on-one defender," coach Maura Fletcher says... A two-year starter who didn't begin playing the game until she was a sophomore... All-SWC... A UConn recruit...

Alex Grainger

Brookfield / Senior

Midfield

Scored 45 goals, which ranked third for the high-scoring SWC runners-up... Added 17 assists to finish with 62 points in 20 games... A third-year varsity player...

All-SWC.

Caitlin Hussey

Ridgefield / Senior

Defensive wing

"A sparkplug," coach
Molly Lenseth
says. "She's incredibly fast and was a key to both the attack and the defense"... Had 28 goals and seven assists for the 9-6 Tigers... Scored three times in an 8-7 win over rival Danbury... First-team All-FCIAC... Second-team All-State... Will be attending Johns Hopkins.

Kristin Kleis

Danbury / Senior

Midfield

An unsung but valuable contributer for the 10-9 Hatters... "She scored when we needed her to score," says coach
Lauren Scott
. "She was good in transition."... Came through with two huge goals in the closing 15 minutes of a 7-5 landmark victory over Ridgefied in the state quarterfinals... Three-year varsity player... First-team All-FCIAC... Second-team All-State.

Jocelyn Kuchta

Ridgefield / Junior

Attack wing

"A very aggressive player. She's passionate about lacrosse," says coach Molly Lenseth. "The girls look up to her leadership."... Scored 29 goals and had 13 assists for the 9-6 Tigers - overcoming a broken jaw that forced her to miss a few early-season games... A second-year varsity player... Second-team All-FCIAC... Second-team All-State.

Laurie Noreika

New Fairfield / Senior

Defense

"She can stop a fastbreak by herself," says coach Joe Robusto. "She can be one of the best defenders I've ever seen."... Became a three-year starter after transferring from Immaculate... Key contributer to last year's Division II state championship team... All-SWC... A Holy Cross signee.

Ashley Prizio

Brookfield / Sophomore

Attack

Already among the top offenive players in the SWC and has two years remaining... Paced the 15-5 Bobcats in scoring with 112 points... Second in the area with 61 goals... Contributed 51 assists... Had five assists and two goals in 15-12 league semifinal win vs. New Fairfied... All-SWC... Also an outstanding ice hockey player.

Becca Rodgers

Brookfield / Senior

Attack

Another solid scorer and distributor for the SWC finalists... Tallied 74 points... Produced 41 goals and assisted on 33 others... A second-year varsity player... All-SWC.

Emily Skarda

Danbury / Senior

Attack

The poster girl of the Hatters' burgeoning program... Scored 106 points for the Division II state semifinalists... Led the area with 69 goals ... Had 37 assists... Produced five goals in 9-8 first-round state tournament upset of No. 2 seed Old Lyme... Finished four-year career with 294 points... All-FCIAC and All-State... An
Iona College
recruit...

"Excellent stick skills and a natural leader," coach Joe Robusto says... Produced 88 points... Scored a team-high 48 goals on only 62 shots on goal... Added 40 assists... Owns the school record for assists in a game (8), season (55) and career (113)... Credited with 112 groundball controls... Four-year varsity player... Signed with Division I Rhode Island College.

Coach of the Year

Lauren Scott

Danbury / 3rd season

A Fairfield High graduate who got involved in lacrosse at Western Connecticut State... Led the 15th seeded Hatters past No. 2 East Lyme and No. 10 Ridgefield, reaching the Division II state semifinals for the first time... Teaching skills were evident as Danbury improved from an 0-5 start to win eight of its last 11 regular-season games.